


Pyre.

by Elit3



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Angst, Execution, Good Mordred (Merlin), Gwaine Lives (Merlin), Hurt Gwaine (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Lancelot (Merlin) Lives, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), Protective Lancelot (Merlin), Protective Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 17:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30025206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elit3/pseuds/Elit3
Summary: After the arrival of Gwaine's twin brother in Camelot everything changes. As usual, it's up to Merlin to save everyone but the risk gets bigger and bigger as Gwaine is accused of being Camelot's enemy and soon will be executed.
Relationships: Gwaine & Lancelot (Merlin), Gwaine & Leon (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Pyre.

**Author's Note:**

> After season 5. Arthur, Gwaine and Lancelot are still alive, Morgana is dead and Mordred is a good person.

Merlin couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let Gwaine die. The wizard was walking through the halls of the castle to talk to the King of Camelot.  
Along the way, Merlin thought about all that had happened in the past month. To say that things started out slowly but deteriorated very quickly would be an understatement.

The first bad omen was the arrival of John and his knights at the citadel. The man looked like two drops of water like Gwaine in his height, hair - which were shorter -, eyes or even face. The problem was that John had introduced himself as Lord and had come to see his brother, one of the Knights of Camelot.  
Merlin remembered the look Arthur and the Knights gave Gwaine when they realized that their friend had lied to them about his inheritance. The knight who hated nobles was himself one. The first crack was thus created.

Things went on like this all month: Jean gaining popularity and Gwaine losing more and more. The two men were twins but Jean was the older one and therefore received the castle while Gwaine lived a wandering life. The animosity was palpable between the two with Jean glaring at his brother with anger in this eyes and Gwaine tensing as soon as the Lord arrived. However, neither Arthur nor the Knights seemed to notice their friend's discomfort. In fact, they spent more and more time with Jean, laughing with him, eating his words and his stories, practicing together.

Merlin had never seen the knights doing this to each other. Of course, they liked to make fun of Gwaine and make jokes on him. But it had always been just jokes. Except that there, the knights were not laughing. They would avoid Gwaine, walk away when he walked into a room, openly laugh at him, intentionally hurt him in practice… Like the time where Leon said to Gwaine that he did not diserved to be a Knight. It was strange and totally out of character, especially when Lancelot joined in the mockery. What the noble-hearted man would never have done in normal times.

No, the wizard knew that magic was involved in one way or another and that Jean will do anything to set the knights and Camelot against Gwaine. As evidenced by the time a woman accused Gwaine of theft and Arthur believed her above his knight who had to clean the stables as punishment.

The worst part of it all was that Gwaine wasn't fighting back. The knight was acting as if this was normal or that none of it got to him or hurt him. Yet the shadows under his eyes, his paler than usual complexion, and his unwillingness to eat prove otherwise. It was as if he was used to this kind of treatment, that he knew one day all of this would happen and that he already was resigned.

So, the young wizard was not surprised to see Gwaine dressed in his normal clothes, with a backpack over his shoulder, in the rain and leaving Camelot. Merlin had intercepted him and talked to him. The knight looked like a specter standing in the rain as if his clothes weren't soaked and begging Merlin to let him through. The servant also didn't care if his clothes were soaked, his goal was to convince Gwaine to stay, to trust him when he told him that things would work out, that the Knights would eventually figure out their mistake. It hurt him to see one of his close friends being hurt like that. 

That night, Merlin had convinced Gwaine not to go.

And today he regretted it.

“Arthur,” he began as he had just entered the king's chambers, “you can't do that. "

"Not to do what exactly? Asked the king.

"You can't execute Gwaine," Merlin explained.

" Why not? I'm the king and do what I please, "Arthur sounded like the royal idiot Merlin had met when he first arrived in Camelot," besides, Gwaine attacked my guest and has been declared to be Camelot's enemy. "

"He never would have done that! No one saw the attack, it's his word against Jean's. You know Gwaine, you knighted him yourself so you should trust him. " 

"And he's lied to me in the past. My father would have forgiven him if he had known that Gwaine had been a noble. "

"That's exactly why he didn't say anything. Gwaine wanted you to see him for his abilities, not because he comes from a noble family. And it worked, Gwaine is your best knight with or without royal blood. "

"Believe me, Merlin, if I could go back I would never have knighted him. "

"Do you hear yourself talking? It's not like you, Arthur! Creating the round table with people without noble blood in their veins is one of your greatest achievements. Yet you are prepared to hang Gwaine on an unfounded accusation. He doesn't deserve this, especially since he's your cousin. "

"What about the poison that we found in Gwaine's apartments? Is that unfounded too? "

"It was Jean who told you where it was, isn't it? "

" That's enough! I am your king! You don't have to contradict my decisions. Out." Merlin knew better than trying to reason with Arthur now and started to leave the room. “Merlin? You're right, Gwaine doesn't deserve to be hanged. I'm going to ask for a pyre to be prepared for tomorrow. "

Merlin was shocked at the new information and hurriedly left the room. What had he just done? It wasn't supposed to be that way.

The young servant waited until nightfall before descending to the dungeons where Gwaine had been locked up. Diverting the attention of the guards was easy and he was able to talk to the knight quietly.

“I'm sorry,” Merlin whispered, “if I had let you go none of this would have happened. "

"It's not your fault, Merlin," comes Gwaine's pained voice, "you tried to be my friend and that is already more than enough. "

"But I only made it worse! Arthur wants you to be burnt on a pyre! "

“The hanging would have been too quick for Jean's taste. At least I would die in front of a crowd. "

“Don't laugh about it now. " 

“You're right, I'm sorry." Gwaine walked over to the prison's bars and Merlin could see the new bruises on the knight's body. "It's nothing serious, just Percival and Leon wanting to explain their way of thinking to me. "

The servant wanted to speak to ask if he was really okay or if the cut made by Lancelot's sword had become infected, but Gwaine stopped him.

"Listen to me, my friend, nothing is your fault or that of Arthur or the knights. I don't blame them, I could never do it. They are my family and I know that they are not in their good states of mind. And I would like you to tell them that when they get their minds back. "

" What do you mean? "

"I'm afraid that Jean has taken the control of everyone in Camelot, except you apparently. I think it's because of a talisman he's hiding in his room. But he will give everyone back their free will when I die because he is mad. Jean wants to see everyone in pain and that’s what will happen when the Knights and Arthur find out that I am dead because of them. They will blame themselves for my death but I don't want them to. "

“I can still save you. If I find the talisman ... "

"No, if you destroy Jean's plan he will come after you. He wants to see me dead for a long time now and I'm tired of running away from him. "

"Why does he want to kill you?" Merlin asked.

"Because in the order of inheritance of our lands I come first. "

"What? But I thought that Jean was the oldest? " 

" No. I was born 10 minutes before him. At first, it didn't bother him but then my father died and Jean started to covet power. I was young and all I wanted was for my brother to be my friend. So when Jean asked me to lie and say he was born before me, I did. But, then… mysterious deaths and disappearances happened. First with the midwives who gave birth to us, the priest who baptized us, the witnesses of our births. When I understood what was going on, it was already too late: Jean was already the new Lord. Those who knew he was not the rightful heir were dead, and the recalcitrants vanished just as quickly. I tried to fight him but I no longer had any allies within the castle walls and Jean in his false mercy gave me two options: death or wandering. You know which option I chose. "

“Except that with time, Jean became perverted by his own thirst for power and he became worried that the only witness he left alive would speak and that the plot would be revealed in broad daylight. That's why he wants to kill you, "Merlin guessed.

“Exactly. And it looks like he finally succeeds. "

“I won't let him. You won't die tomorrow. "

"You are more stubborn than a mule." Gwaine huffed, "Watch out for yourself. I refuse that you give your life for mine. "

Merlin had to leave because the guards were returning to watch over their prisoner. He vowed to find the talisman and destroy it. Gwaine won’t die tomorrow. 

***

Arthur, Gwen, and Jean were on the royal balcony, ready to watch the knight's slow death. Percival, Leon, Mordred, and Lancelot were in the courtyard of the citadel, in the first box to hear the cries of the renegade knight.

None of them moved when Gwaine was tied securely to the piece of wood or when crates of wood were stacked. They let the executioner do his job when the wood was doused with alcohol. And they watched without feeling a thing as the king gave his consent for the executioner to set the pyre on fire.

Black smoke billowed from the pyre. So much so that the knights had to squint to see through it. And from where they were Percival, Leon, Mordred, and Lancelot could feel the warmth coming from the pyre. They were also well placed to hear the painful coughs that came out of the condemned man's mouth.

Gwaine was a traitor, he deserved what was happening to him. The man should never have been a knight in the first place and he humiliated Camelot by wearing his coat of arms.

_It was like torture, Gwaine couldn't see anything because of the smoke, he could only smell the scent of the fire, feel the heat rising more and more from the flames coming closer to him. Quietly, he hoped that the smoke that was currently entering his lungs would kill him before the fire did. The knight tried to cough because of his lungs burning inside him but he couldn't breathe… he couldn't breathe… he was going to die, he told himself._

No, it was wrong. Gwaine was one of the best knights of the round table. He deserved more than anyone to wear Camelot's coat of arms. The man had always been there for them and never let them down.

Suddenly the veil that had taken possession of their minds flew away and all the members of the round table were petrified by the vision in front of them: their brother was suffocating on the pyre.

“Stop everything!" The king who came back to his sens yelled from the balcony, "Free Gwaine, it's an order!" 

Except the executioner didn't move to put out the fire.

"Hurry! Go get some water!" Leon yelled.

Percival and Mordred took the lead and ran to fetch water from the fountain.

At the same time, cries began to come from the stake: the fire had approached Gwaine.

" No! " Leon said hurriedly as he had just stopped Lancelot from going up to the stake.

Lancelot didn't listen and took off his cloak and sword. "We can't let him die!" He yelled back as he drew out his dagger.

The reckless knight waited two seconds for Perceval and Mordred to throw the first seals of water to jump on the pyre. The heat was unbearable, the smoke made him cough and the fire burned his skin but Lancelot didn't stop until he was near Gwaine. He quickly cut the ropes around his friend's wrists and ankles even thought the fire was burning him, grabbed him by his arm since Gwaine was not counscious enough to move by himself, and forced him down out of the pyre.

Once Gwaine was out of danger, Lancelot helped him fall gently to the floor and stood close to his friend. The other knights stopped going for buckets of water to look at Gwaine who was struggling to catch his breath. Gurgles came from the condemned man's mouth and the knights looked at each other with hesitation and guilt.

"Put him on his side!" Gaius ordered.

Lancelot, aided by Mordred, did so and helped Gwaine to rest on his side. The knight continued to cough painfully as if trying to force the smoke out of his lungs, but he seemed to be breathing easier. Suddenly, Gwaine shifted onto his knees and forearms and began to vomit. Lancelot and Mordred supported him as best they could by holding his shoulders and rubbing his back. When the vomiting stopped, Gwaine continued to cough. They pulled him away from the vomit and Lancelot rested his friend's head on his lap.

« You’re going to be okay, we have you. » 

« T-Thanks… » 

Gwaine's face was black with soot, traces of tears were still on his cheeks, and his eyes were red and itchy. His chest heaved painfully as he continued to cough. And parts of his clothes were gone because of the fire that had scorched his skin.

" What have we done?" Percival whispered.

No one answered him because everyone was asking the same question.

But since everything could not be so simple, armed men bearing the coat of arms of Lord Jean arrived in the square. The red cloaks gathered in the square fought the green cloaks but some managed to pass and marched in the direction of Gwaine and the other knights. 

"It's n-not yet… over…" Gwaine muttered, laughing between coughs.

“Protect Gwaine!" Leon ordered, taking a defensive position in front of the wounded knight. "Lancelot, Mordred, and Gaius take Gwaine away from here! Percival, you stay with me. "

Lancelot and Mordred obeyed and each took one of Gwaine's arms over their shoulders and lifted him up. Gwaine looked disoriented and nauseous but the two knights didn't give him time to come to his senses and forced him to walk.

The three knights and the medic emerged from the makeshift battlefield. They wanted to go to the lower town since the citadel was not a safe area, but they had to take a break when Gwaine asked them to. The injured man leaned against the wall to cough and vomit again. Except that this break gave the green cloaks a chance to get closer to them.

"I'll hold them back!" Mordred cried.

Lancelot took Gwaine's arm over his shoulder and held his hip to hold him upright. Gaius walked in front of them to show them the way. Gwaine continued to cough and Lancelot was finding it harder and harder to carry the knight's weight.

“Hold on, Gwaine. We're going to get you to safety, ”Lancelot promised. "Where, Gaius?" 

Suddenly four enemy knights arrived and Lancelot had to let go of Gwaine to fight them. He quickly killed one and battled two more as the last one approached Gaius and Gwaine. The noble-hearted knight managed to kill both of his foes and turned in time to see Arthur eliminate the last man.  
The king and the knight again carried Gwaine to make him walk.

“Jean has escaped and his knights have dispersed throughout the lower town,” Arthur informed them, “the citadel is safe again and is protected. "

"Let's go then," Lancelot replied.

" How are you?" Arthur asked worriedly to Gwaine who continued to cough.

"Like a roast doe," Gwaine tried to joke.

"I'm sorry," Arthur whispered.

"Pay me the next drink round and we'll be okay," replied the wounded knight.

"You'll talk about that later," Gaius said as they pulled up to the square.

The square was littered with corpses from both camps and the pyre was finally extinguished. Knights of Camelot were guarding the square and the four men thought they could walk quietly through the square to enter the citadel.

Except that a man came out of the citadel and beheaded the two men guarding the gate.

"Jean," Gwaine growled.

"I'll take care of him," Arthur said, letting go of Gwaine to leave him under Lancelot's protection. “Your spell has faded and your plan has just failed,” Arthur told Jean, “now that we are no longer influenced we will not let you hurt Gwaine. "

"Hurt him?" Jean asked incredulously. “But I didn't even touch him. This was all your doing, not mine. The talisman only exacerbates real feelings, nothing else. "

"You're lying," Arthur whispered angrily.

"Why would I ?" 

"Because it's what… you do best," Gwaine replied with sheer determination in his voice. He let go of Lancelot's shoulder who tried to hold him back and walked towards his twin brother. "You lie, cheat, kill to achieve your ends. You’ll do anything for that, even killing your own brother. And all this for what? To prevent me from speaking? To allay your fears? "

“Afraid of who? you? Don't make me laugh, Gwaine. You have never been anything compared to me and you will never be anything except a bug under my boot. "

"If you have nothing to fear, don't you mind me revealing your biggest secret to the King of Camelot? "

"You won't dare," replied Jean. "You are far too afraid of the consequences of your words to say them out loud. " 

“I'm not a coward like you. » Gwaine turned to Arthur. "Jean is not the legitimate heir: it's me. "

"Are you the real Lord?" Arthur asked.

" He lies!" Yelled Jean. "Just because he was born 10 minutes before me doesn't make him more legitimate to the title than me. The title of Lord comes back to me. "  
“Stop acting like it's the title of Lord you care about,” Gwaine replied angrily, “With Uther, Agravain, and Morgana dead, and Arthur and Gwen childless this is our lineage which is closer to the throne in the event of the unfortunate death of the two sovereigns. "

“Learn your genealogy, Gwaine, our family is third in line. "

"You've shut out Arthur’s young cousin for good and made a contract with the second," Gwaine replied. "That's why you came to Camelot to kill the King and Queen and put the blame on me. What a pity that it failed. "

Arthur seemed to understand what was going on and got over his shock. “Arrest him! "

“No,” Gwaine said, “he's tried to kill me too many times. It's up to me to end it. "

“You can't, Gwaine! You can barely stand up, ”Lancelot tried to reason with him.

“You can doubt me and criticize me as long as you want, but you cannot judge my ability to hold a sword. "

Knowing that it would be impossible to reason with him, Arthur handed him Excalibur. The knight's hand was steady as he took the sword.

“Wait,” Lancelot said, grabbing Gwaine's arm, “You need to finish the fight as quickly as possible or Jean will quickly gain the upper hand. Keep calm and your energy, attack his left side which is weaker, get him angry as possible to make him make mistakes. "

The wounded knight nodded and went to stand in front of John in a perfect posture.

“Start!" Arthur said.

Gwaine let Jean attack first and dodged at the last second, making a fight in his condition was really silly. Lancelot was right, he had to win in seconds or it will be over for him.

"So you really think you can beat me, little brother?" Gwaine scoffed as he dodged another attack. “Let's be honest, you've always been more of a diplomat than a fighter. " 

"Shut up and fight!" yelled Jean.

The angry Lord will run in the open towards Gwaine who took the opportunity to cut his leg.

"So what's your favorite activity? Poisoning? The scam? Or no, I know! Bullying! "

Jean left his left flank unprotected and the Camelot knight took advantage of it once again.

“Argh! You will pay for that! "

"You'd have to touch me to do so," Gwaine replied as he bent down since Jean's sword came near his face and cut off his hair, at least it wasn't his neck. 

The two men fought sword against sword with their faces a few feet apart. Jean, who was in better physical condition than Gwaine, was starting to gain the upper hand.

"Dad would turn around in his grave if he saw you like that, as Mum did when she heard you were knighted in fact," Jean said, trying to mentally unsettle Gwaine.

Except that the Camelot's Knight quickly snapped out of his shock, and let his anger took hold of his body. Gwaine let Jean win the sword-to-sword fight by stepping back and he used the parry Leon had taught him to remove the sword from Jean's hold. In a quick gesture, he slashed Jean's leg again, who fell to the ground.

"Our father was a knight and a good man, he would have understood," Gwaine spat.

"So what? Are you going to kill me?" Said Jean angrily.

“No, I'm not like you. You will answer for your crimes before King Arthur. "

Gwaine began to walk away from Jean to join his friends. Mordred, Perceval, Leon and Merlin had arrived in the square during the fight.

“If I am going to die,” Jean began, “it won't be alone. "

Jean retrieved his sword and was about to attack in Gwaine's back but the knight was faster, he turned around in time and thrust Excalibur into his brother's stomach.

"I wish it did not end like this," Gwaine whispered to his dying brother.

"This is not the… e-end… my s-son will avenge me. "

"No, I know Eloi and he's not like you. I'll let him be the Lord if that's what he wants, that never interested me. " 

"I-I… h-hate you." 

"And I made the mistake of loving you," Gwaine replied as Jean let out his last breath.

The wounded knight struggled to his stand up, his injuries seemed to be starting to get the better of him and the darkness stained his vision. He turned to his brothers who were all looking at him with concern and admiration. Gwaine wanted to say something to them but words failed him as he finally collapsed in exhaustion and pain.

“Gwaine! "

***

After that, Gwaine was carried to Gaius' apartments, who inspected the damage. The doctor's diagnosis was clear: Gwaine's lungs were filled with smoke, his right ankle and left shoulder had been burned, his side wound had become infected, and he had several bruises. The wounded knight was left unconscious for three days due to the pride that had confined him to bed and even after waking up, he was forced to rest in bed. All his friends stayed at his bedside throughout his recovery. Everyone blamed themself for what they had done to the jovial knight and what might have happened if the spell had not been broken in time.

For example, Lancelot had tried to hide the burn on his wrist out of guilt. He thought it was his penance for causing the wound on Gwaine's side.

It took several weeks before the Knights regained their old dynamics as the Knights spent their time apologizing and remorse while Gwaine feigned nonchalance. Gwaine was trying to pretend that nothing happened, that the forgive them, but how could he ? During a mounth who he thought was his familly insulted him, ignored him, injured him. He felt so lonely during this mounth that he would had leaved if it wasn’t for Merlin. And the Knights felt so guilty because they could remember everything thay had done and they were scared that they could hurt Gwaine again, that they could betray his trust again. They promised that they would never let anyone hurt Gwaine, not even them. 

But, in the end, the Knights regained the mutual trust that had always been between them because nothing could interfere with their brotherhood. Not even power-hungry idiots.


End file.
